Digital marketing powerhouse Digitas/Modem Media announced today that my friend Cella Irvine would become their Chief Administrative Officer, reporting to their CEO. Cella is a long-time digital media vet, having led Microsoft’s Sidewalk operation in NYC for many years, up to it’s purchase by Ticketmaster/CitySearch. She went on to work for insurance giant Marsh, Inc. Anyway, she’s a brilliant and wonderful person, and should do well in her new role. BusinessWire news release on her new gig is here, and a Clickz.com news story is here.

The Savannah Morning News has moved into it’s new home. Like many businesses, they have outgrown their old facility. Working for the News-Press in the late 80s and early 90s, we felt very much a part of city, sitting in the midst of everything. The annual St. Patrick’s Day parade passing by out front. We were only a stone’s throw from City Hall. Moments from the ports, the police barracks, and all sorts of other key Savannah institutions. But while it’s sad that the paper is moving out of their 100+ year location in downtown Savannah (my hometown), it’s clearly a great new facility, and the costs to add these types of improvements on the old building would have been prohibitive.
Savannahnow.com coverage here
Slideshow here
VR gallery here

Continue reading Morning News Gets New Digs →

So my old pal Heidi Klum is gonna marry Seal (via CNN.com). So, let me clarify that. Heidi and I shared a hot tub (along with her then-husband and a bunch of other folks) in Mexico a few years back when I was on assignment for a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit shoot. She’s really down to earth, and was most fascinated by the IPIX technology we were using, including getting into the spirit of things and posing on both side of the picture, as IPIX VRs are two 180-degree images spliced together. So ‘snap’ Heidi poses on one side, Heidi moves to the other, and presto! Two Heidis, one panorama. I’d link to one of these, but SI.com has put most of the old Swimsuit content behind a subscription wall.

UPDATE: You can still see the VR! Here is one, courtesy of MSN Search’s cache. LINK.

Now I think Seal is a great musician. Although he has become quite a commercial success, and some of his stuff is a bit too pop for my taste, I think his first disc from the early 90s is great, and remind me of some Peter Gabriel stuff.

Anyway, Mazel Tov to the happy couple!

Link: Heidi Gallery at SI.com
Link: CNN.com story

Frank Boosman points out that, according to a report from the Chicago Sun-Times, the war in Iraq has cost $130 billion to date or $198M per day. That makes the amount committed to date by the U.S. to tsnuami relief ($350M) equal to 42.27 hours of Iraq war costs. Hmmmmm.